A Russian national wanted by Interpol, who has been held at the Central Prison, has been declared as an illegal immigrant and will be deported to Turkey, Yeniduzen reports.
Viktor Panyushin, who was arrested and held at the Central prison for a number of months, will be deported to Turkey and then extradited to Russia.
Panyushin is accused of committing various crimes including running illegal gambling organisations, kidnap and grievous bodily harm.
Viktor Panyushin, also known as Vitya Pan, has a criminal record in Russia, including murder and is wanted by Interpol. He escaped the authorities in Russia and fled to Ukraine where he obtained a Ukrainian passport with a different surname and date of birth.
Panyushin arrived in North Cyprus at the start of 2023 using a Ukrainian passport and stayed in various places in Kyrenia. In May, he entered a hotel in the north with his Russian passport, while using a Ukrainian passport this time. This discrepancy was noticed by the police, Panyushin was arrested in June on charges of “forging documents.” In his statement to the police, Panyushin claimed that he was given a passport by Ukraine under the witness protection programme and that some identity information was changed to avoid recognition.
Following Panyushin’s arrest, Interpol requested his extradition.
